Treatment tray



R. J. PERLMAN TREATMENT TRAY Jan. 30, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1965 FIG.

FIG. 2

M m m P J. D m M R INVENTOR.

Jan. 30, 1968 R; J. PERLMAN 3,365,729

' TREATMENT TRAY Filed Aug. 2, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 RICHARD J PERLMAN INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,365,729 TREATMENT TRAY Richard J. Perlman, Worcester, Mass., assignor to J.M.R. Enterprises, Inc., Worcester, Mass, a corporatinn of Massachusetts Filed Aug. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 476,262 1 Claim. (Cl. 46)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a treatment tray and, more particularly, to a tray to be applied to a toilet seat for medical treatment of the human body, the tray having flanges for engagement with the seat and lips to provide for overflow of medicinal liquid.

In the treatment of diseases and injuries to the rectum and associated areas of the human body, definite advantages can be obtained by soaking the affected part in a medicinal liquid. This has been done in the past by soaking in the bathtub, but it has been necessary for the patient to disrobe completely. Devices have been evolved for similar treatments in connection with a conventional toilet, but they have been complicated and expensive and have presented innumerable difficulties in connection with overflow and the like. These and other difiiculties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.

It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a treatment tray of simple construction which may effectively be used with a conventional toilet.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a treatment tray for use with a toilet which is comfortable to use and which will not spill outside of the toilet.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a treatment tray which is simple and rugged in construction, which may be readily constructed from easily-obtainable materials and which is capable of a long life of useful service.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a treatment tray capable of treating a number of diseases and injuries to the anal area without the necessity of the patient disrobing completely.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a treatment tray adaptable to be used with varying sizes of toilet seats, which may be readily cleaned, and which may be used with any number of conventional medications.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.

The character of the invention, however, may be best understood by reference to one of its structural forms as illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a treatment tray embodying the principles of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the invention taken on the line IIl-III of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the invention taken on the line IVIV of FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the treatrnent tray, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, is shown in use with a toilet 11. The toilet is provided in the usual way with a bowl 12 on which is mounted a seat 13 and a cover 14. The seat is provided with an oval-shaped aperture 15 in which the tray is located.

Referring to FIG. 2, the tray 10 is shown as consisting of a bowl having an upper edge 16. Entering the upper edge at diametrically-opposed parts thereof are two notches 17 and 18 from which extend horizontal lips 19 and 21, respectively. The notches and lips are intended to extend along the major axis of the oval aperture 15 in the toilet seat 13.

Extending laterally from the upper edge 16 of the bowl to one side is a flange 22, while a similar flange 23' extends from the other side. The flange 22 extends from the notch 17 around to the notch 18 on one side, while the flange 23 extends between the two notches on the other side. Each of the flanges 22 and 23 are provided with a substantially wider portion midway between the notches and intended to lie along the minor axis of the oval aperture 15 of the toilet seat 13.

Transition flanges 24, 25, 26, and 27 are provided to extend between the lips 19 and 21 and the flanges 22 and 23 provide for smooth transition between the flanges and the lips. The entire tray is integrally formed by injection molding or by a similar fabrication process from an elastomer plastic, such as a low-impact grade of polyethylene. The important aspect be that the plastic selected have a rubber-like quality so that when the patient presses on it, it will not break and will adapt itself to the patients body and can be readily cleaned.

The operation of the invention will now be readily understood in view of the above description. In use, the bowl is placed in the oval-shaped aperture 15 of the toilet seat 13 with the flange 22 and the flange 23 resting on the toilet seat and extending over its surface a considerable area. On the other hand, the lips 19 and 21 lie within the aperture and extend downwardly toward the bowl 12. The medicinal fluid is placed in the container and, as a matter of fact, the container can be filled as far as the level of the lips 19 and 21. When the patients body is inserted into the bowl by his sitting on the toilet seat and on the treatment tray itself, the medicinal fluid will possibly be displaced by a port-ion of his body. In that case, the fluid will flow out of the tray through the notches 17 and 18 over the lips 19 and 2?. into the toilet bowl 12. vIt can be seen that, in using this item, it is not necessary for the patient to disrobe completely, and for that reason, there is a tendency for the patient to make use of the medicinal treatment more often than he would if it required a complete disrobing. For that reason, there is a psychological advantage to treating disease and injury by this method, particularly where the treatment requires frequent application.

The advantages of the use of the present invention are quite numerous and are generally applicable to physicianprescribed restricted soaking bath therapy. The tray is easily carried about with the patient and may be used in almost any place at home or away from home. It represents a simple, effective, low-cost answer to the problem of therapy in hospitals, homes, nursing homes, offices, and hotels. It encourages more frequent use of the prescribed soaking bath thereapy and thereby promotes more rapid healing in non-surgical and post-operative cases. There is no overflow onto the floor and the tray is incapable of breakage. There is nothing to connect or to assemble and no need for prolonged treatment in a bathtub and, of course, complete disrobing is not necessary. The tray is small and easy to carry and can be used anywhere that a toilet seat is available and is always in a safe sitting position. Some of the diseases which may be treated by this method are as follows: hemorrhoids and piles, perineal and pen-anal abscesses, wound healing secondary to post-partum trauma, peri-anal pruritis, anal fissures and fistulas that require soaking, faster wound healing secondary to proctologic surgery, improved hygiene where local inflammation makes wiping difiicult, certain diaper and peri-anal washes in children, post-pregnancy care, and vaginal douching.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form and construction 'of the invention without departing from the material spirit thereof. It is not, however, desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is desired to include all such as properly come within the scope claimed. a

The invention having been thus described, what i claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A treatment tray for use on a toilet seat having an oval-shaped aperture, comprising (a) a bowl formed of an elastomer plastic having an upper edge,

(b) two similar notches formed in the bowl and extending downwardly from the said upper edge at diametrically-opposed positions corresponding to the major axis of the said aperture,

(c) flanges integral with the bowl extending generally horizontally and laterally from the said upper edge between the notches, the flanges having substantially greater widths at diametrically-opposed positions cor- 4 responding to the minor axis of the said aperture, and (d) a lip integral with the bowl extending, generally horizontally and outwardly from the edge of each notch to form a spillway and a transition flange joining each flange to the adjacent portion of each lip.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,426,303 8/ 1947 Graber 46 2,427,807 9/ 1947 Oliver 46 2,947,995 8/ 1960 Saulson 46 3,039,117 6/1962 Hoskins 46 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,121,056 4/1956 France.

368,143 2/ 1923 Germany.

23 9,642 2/ 1946 Switzerland.

20 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

